A new consultancy is bringing global expertise in passenger cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles together to help automotive firms devise and manage new projects and strategies for change.

The experts at Elevenci include finance consulting veteran Mike Walters, who has worked with Capital Bank, BMW Financial Services and BNP Paribas, who has become Elevenci’s managing consultant, and managing director John Waring, an IT specialist who has helped manufacturers, finance houses, leasing operations and dealers on optimising their use of technology and people.

Client development director Gary Elliott was Kia’s UK head of marketing in the late 1990s and the RMIF’s sales and marketing director from 2004 to 2006, and has since worked across a range of functions in strategic sales, marketing, general insurance and product development roles in UK and international markets.

Andrew Shaw has joined the senior team as a consultant. Shaw, who launched BCA’s Buyer Funding business in 2013, has held director roles in a variety of organisations including Lex Service Group, Hyundai UK and Volvo Car UK.

Elevenci said it will provide manufacturers, fleet and leasing providers and finance houses with “outstanding levels of automotive and external industry knowledge” to help automotive clients “to de-risk decisions, accelerate change and maximise ROI”.

“Historically, the industry has had to deal with some significant and far-reaching issues – including globalisation and emissions legislation – but never has it had to cope with so many diverse, competing challenges and opportunities occurring at the same time. You could say the industry faces an existential crisis,” said Waring.

“This year will be a critical one for the industry; the decisions made in the next six to 12 months will have a definitive and seismic influence on the commercial success of the industry, certainly for the next three to five years and probably well beyond that.”

He said that much of the discussions around change has focussed on carmakers but the fleet, leasing and finance sectors will be affected too.

“With political and environmental issues, a post-Brexit economy, China and inefficient legacy structures to account for, many businesses across the entire automotive sector  are struggling to adapt fast enough, let alone maximise the opportunities presented by increasing digitalisation, alternative powertrains and new mobility services. This is where Elevenci can help,” added Waring.

Associates in the business include former Volvo Middle East network development boss Steve Beattie, Gabi Whitfield who was recently director of international PR at Jaguar Land Rover, and Gerard O'Neill, who has previously headed global retail network planning for Bentley and Jaguar Land Rover.